A change of eating habits is increasing the need for frozen instant cooking noodles which will thaw by heat in a short time to provide a product ready for immediate consumption. As frozen instant cooking noodles are known those obtained by boiling raw or dry noodles and then freezing the boiled noodles.
In general, the frozen noodles are less in extension and lower in elasticity than boiled noodles. However, prior frozen instant cooking noodles have the disadvantages that they cannot be readily thawed uniformly by heat in a short time on account of the tendency of the individual strings or pieces to stick together as soon as they come in touch with one another to form a lump containing less voids between strings. This non-uniform and extended thawing will result in lowering texture for eating and degrading the quality of the noodles.
For obviating those disadvantages, various proposals have been made wherein voids are provided between the strings in the noodle lump to permit a quick and uniform thawing. The prior art includes a process of preparing a frozen noodle which comprises placing the strings of boiled noodle in a vessel having a plurality of small columns protruded from the bottom surface, freezing the vessel, heating it to melt a contact surface of the noodle and container for removal of the noodle from the vessel as disclosed in Japanese Patent Kokoku 47-14897, a process of preparing a frozen noodle by filling a boiled noodle in between small columns of dryice and freezing the noodle as disclosed in Japanese Patent Kokai 50-25747, frozen noodles prepared by stacking a boiled noodle in parallel crosses in a spaced relation to form a plate-like noodle followed by freezing as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Kokoku 61-38457 and frozen noodles prepared by stacking a cooked noodle in a plate form, while providing vertically through holes at many places thereof followed by freezing as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Kokoku 63-8228.
However, the prior art has the following disadvantages. The process of Japanese Patent Kokoku 47-14897 is not economical in terms of apparatus and process steps, since it requires a vessel in a complicated shape having a plurality of small columns protruded from the bottom surface and removal of the frozen noodle from the vessel by heating after being frozen. The process of Japanese Patent Kokai 50-25747 is also not economical, since many dryice molded articles are needed to prepare in small columns and operation should be made until the dryice molded article does not sublime. The art of Japanese Utility Model Kokoku 61-38457 requires additional apparatus and much labor, since the noodle strings should be stacked in parallel crosses in a spaced relation. Further the art of Japanese Utility Model Kokoku 63-8228 needs additional steps and much labor, since the through holes should be provided vertically at many places of the noodles after the cooked noodles were stacked in a plate form.